Will butterflies vanish from the US? New study shows a shocking decline in the population

American lovers may no longer be able to express that they are ‘feeling butterflies in the stomach’, because it would soon become a thing from the past. Yes, that’s right. Children may start to collect the wings of dead butterflies and probably sell them on eBay for millions! Well, this is not a scene from a dystopian sci-fi movie, but a soon-to-be reality. A recent study has revealed that butterflies are disappearing from the United States, at an alarming rate.
All kinds of butterflies are disappearing from the US, according to a new study published in . The study for the first time tallies butterfly data from more than 76,000 surveys across the continental United States. This statistic notes a significant decline in butterfly populations. According to the data, one in five butterflies has disappeared in just two decades. This means, that between 2000 and 2020, total butterfly abundance fell by 22% across the 554 species counted.
“Action must be taken. To lose 22 percent of butterflies across the continental U.S. in just two decades is distressing and shows a clear need for broad-scale conservation interventions,” Elise Zipkin, a Red Cedar Distinguished Professor of quantitative ecology at Michigan State University and a co-author of the paper said in a statement.

Haddad is a terrestrial ecologist – a scientist on the ground specializing in the fates of the most fragile and rare butterfly populations- shaken by the reports. “My neighbors notice it. Unprompted, they’ll say, ‘I’m seeing fewer butterflies in my garden, is that real?’ My neighbors are right. And it’s so shocking,” he said.

Zipkin, Haddad, and their team analyzed data from 35 monitor programs that tracked over 12.6 million butterflies over several decades. They integrate data from various sources, to ensure a comprehensive and accurate assessment of butterfly population trends. The study focused on 342 species that had sufficient data. The population of butterflies has dropped an average of 1.3% annually across the country, except for the Pacific Northwest.
“This is the definitive study of butterflies in the US. For those who were not already aware of insect declines, this should be a wake-up call. We urgently need both local- and national-scale conservation efforts to support butterflies and other insects. We have never had as clear and compelling a picture of butterfly declines as we do now,” Collin Edwards, the study’s lead author said.
Butterflies are forgotten pollinators. Though people often think of bees first, butterflies (and flies) are responsible for $120 million of cotton production in Texas.

“People depend on plants, microbes, and animals for the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. Yet, we are losing species at rates that rival the major mass extinction events on our planet. The U.S. plays an important role in setting policies and creating laws that conserve and protect biodiversity from local to global scales. Our leaders and the federal government, in particular, are responsible for making sure future generations have the necessary resources to thrive,” Zipkin said.

Haddad further added, “Prophylactic and near-universal application of insecticides harms butterflies and other beneficial insects, with no proven benefit to crop yield. What is applied as ‘insurance’ is extracting a great debt to agroecosystems. The good news is that the widespread application of insecticides can be reversed, and butterflies and other pollinators will recover.”
(Pic courtesy: iStock)